Cork in Colour is a New Zealand company run by brother and sister; Simon and Toni Hadlee. The family have been importing cork into New Zealand for over 40 years.

They have a lifetime of knowledge about cork and welcome any enquires about this amazing natural resource.

Toni Hadlee

Director

Toni Hadlee

Director

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

You may be surprised at Cork's vast features and benefits.

Easy to Lay

Cork in Colour™ is here to make your life easier. The tiles are preglued
and pre-finished with colour and non-toxic polyurethane, so all
you need to do is stick them down and cover them with one extra
coat of polyurethane. Your floor can be laid and finished in one day!

Adaptable

With Cork in Colour™ you can keep it simple, or mix and match the
colours to create various designs.

Wet Areas

Cork in Colour™ has three layers of polyurethane protecting the cork.
When sufficiently sealed after laying it is suitable for wet areas like
bathrooms and laundries.

Warm and Comfortable

Cork in Colour™ has three layers of polyurethane protecting the cork.
When sufficiently sealed after laying it is suitable for wet areas like
bathrooms and laundries.

Fade Resistant

Cork in Colour™ has a unique protective film of UV resistant pigments
that assist in protecting the raw cork tile from exposure to harmful
UV rays.

Soundproofing

Cork is an excellent choice for soundproofing and will help in attaining building standards required for acoustic absorption. It reduces clatter in commercial environments and stops noise transference between apartments or levels in a house.

Sustainable Product

Cork harvesting is one of the most environment-friendly processes in the world. By choosing cork you gain a healthy living environment, support sustainable livelihoods and promote protection of endangered ecosystems.

Healthy Alternative

Cork is naturally hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial and anti-fungal. It repels dust mites so it is an ideal alternative to carpet which harbours dust mites. Luckily cork is warm enough that you can have it in bedrooms, playrooms and lounging areas where carpet usually is selected.

COMPARE WITH OTHER TYPES OF FLOORING

Cork performs well against other flooring products - view for yourself!

Cork

Wood

Ceramic

Vinyl

Carpet

Affordable

★

★

★

★

★

Comfort

★

★

Warmth

★

★

Wet Areas

★

★

★

Soundproofing

★

Scratch Proof

★

★

★

Fade Resistant

★

Insulation

★

Longevity

★

★

★

Easy to Lay

★

★

★

Natural

★

★

★

★

Renewable

★

NEED TO SEE MORE?

Cork is a natural product that has been used frequently throughout history. It comes from the outer bark of the Quercus Suber oak tree. The bark is taken off in large strips every nine years. This helps the tree to thrive. The cork lays in the forest for a year, to cure and then goes through a steaming process to remove bacteria.

The wine industry has traditionally used the cork for stoppers. They take what they need and the rest gets agglomerated into floor tiles or for other uses like shoes, fishing rods, life jackets and even on the NASA space shuttles.

Cork was the first thing to be put under the microscope in the 1600’s. The man who invented the microscope Robert Hooke was amazed to discover millions of tiny air particles when he looked at a small slice of cork. He named these tiny rooms ‘cells’ as they reminded him of a monks sleeping quarters.

Because of its honeycomb-like structure, cork consists largely of empty space. Cork consists of irregularly shaped and spaced cells having an average of 14 sides. With 625 million of these empty cells per cubic inch, cork is like many layers of microscopic Bubble Wrap, making it an effective cushioning material. The large amount of dead-air space makes cork an effective insulation material for both temperature and noise. Furthermore, it is fire retardant; flames will only char the surface, and no toxic fumes are generated. Cutting the surface of cork turns many of the microscopic cells into tiny suction cups, creating an effective non-slip surface. In addition to being flexible, cork is highly resilient. After being crushed under a pressure of 14,000 lbs/in 2 (96,000 kPa), cork will regain 90% of its original size in 24 hours. Cork absorbs neither dust nor moisture, and it resists both rot and insects. Highly resistant to wear, it is used for polishing diamonds.

Before people used cork to stop their wine, they used oil soaked rags and paraffin wax. It is said that Dom Perignon, was the first to discover cork as a stopper. Apparently the monk was in the cellers when the wine he was making over fermented and sprayed everywhere. On tasting this liquid he cried out “Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!” and champagne was born. Held down with some wire, cork became the ideal stopper. For centuries after that, people would examine wine corks at restaurant tables to ensure their wine was of quality. Actually they examined it for two reasons. Historically, wines did not have labels. The only place the winemaker could label his wine was on the cork – and because of the nature of cork (it’s very difficult to get a cork back in a bottle the same way it came out), it was a fairly good way to check and make sure the restaurant was serving you the wine they were charging you for. The other reason was to check for cork ‘taint’ where the wine had crept up the side of the cork causing too much air to enter the bottle. There has been a shift since the 90s away from traditional corks, and towards the use of twist offs and synthetic corks. As consumers we have accepted this change due to a misguided understanding that the cork tree is going extinct. The reality is economic. Plastic and screwtop lids are marginally more affordable than cork. Luckily for the traditionalists and the environmentalists, there has more recently been a movement back to natural cork.